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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. press — a publisher
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a document
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. file — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bay — a horse colour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com